Tenkaichi Budōkai
The |Tenka-Ichi Budōkai|lit meaning=The Number One Under Heaven Martial Arts Gathering|viz=Strongest Under the Heavens|funi=World Martial Arts Tournament}} is, as the name suggests, a tournament for martial artists held on Papaya Island. Throughout the course series, there have been twenty-eight Tenka-Ichi Budōkai. The tournaments were held every three years (with the exception of the 25th) until after the 25th; afterwards, they take place every four years. Regardless of the gap, however, the tournament is always held on the seventh of that May. History The Tenkaichi Budōkai, in spite of its current state as a world renowned martial arts tournament, had humble origins. It began as a festival long ago at the temple on Papaya Island that now functions as the tournament grounds.[http://www.kanzenshuu.com/translations/saikyo-jump-june-2014-issue-twel-buu-mysteries/ Saikyō Jump June 2014 Issue (02 May 2014) — “Twel-Buu Mysteries” (Naho Ōishi x Akira Toriyama Q&A)] Known Tenkaichi Budōkai Structure Divisions Prior to the 24th Tenka-Ichi Budōkai, adults and children fought in the same division. As of the 24th, however, a Junior Division was introduced for all children ages fifteen and below. The Junior Division takes place before the Adult Division and the prize money for the winner and the runner-up equal that of the Adult Division. There is also no preliminaries for the Junior Division, allowing all registered participants to fight. The rules for the Junior Division are identical to those for the Adult Division.Dragon Ball Z chapter 238 Preliminaries As of the 25th Tenka-Ichi Budōkai, the preliminary rounds received a complete overhaul. Rather than participate in a qualifying tournament, as had been done in the past, fighters would punch a punching machine and receive a score based on the strength of their punches. The reigning champion is exempt from this process. The fifteen highest scores are qualified to participate in the main tournament.Dragon Ball Z chapter 237 Tournament Rules The tournament rules apply to both the Adult and Junior Divisions. They are as follows: * Killing one's opponent is forbidden.Dragon Ball chapter 34, page 5-6 * The use of weapons is prohibited. * Hitting one's opponent "below the belt" is prohibited.Dragon Ball chapter 36 * A competitor loses if they… ** …cry.Dragon Ball Z chapter 239 ** …forfeit the match. ** …fall outside the boundaries of the arena. ** …are knocked unconscious. ** …are unable to stand up after 10 seconds. In Other Media Dragon Ball GT Two Tenka-Ichi Budōkai are shown over the course of Dragon Ball GT. The second tournament is never given a date, nor is the winner ever shown, but it featured a battle between the descendants of Son Gokū and Vegeta. Video Games Trivia *In the video game, Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury, during her match with Spopovitch, Videl was disqualified for use of "excessive force" (which is the playstyle the player would have to use to even defeat Spopovitch, given how under-powered Videl was, gameplay wise). This is never mentioned as a rule in the manga or anime. *Despite their long standing rules, the Tenka'ichi Budōkai's regulations have been broken multiple times throughout the series; the most frequent perpetrator being Son Gokū himself. Taopaipai used a hidden blade to cut Tenshinhan, for which he was disqualified. Gokū used his Kintoun to save himself from a ring-out, for which he was excused. He later used Kame-Sennin's sunglasses to block the Taiyōken, for which there was no penalty. References Category:Dragon Ball Category:Terminology